Saturday, May 22, 2021, Tracy Gray and Jeff Chen

Themeless Saturday by Tracy Gray and Jeff Chen

In today's puzzle we have another Jeff Chen collaboration; this time with veteran constructor Tracy Gray who seems to be making her first LA Times appearance.

Their long fills were very "gettable" and even the usually sarcastic French expression at 28 Down was familiar. 

Across:

1. "Yeah, like I believe that!": WHAT A CROCK - Al Pacino completes this phrase in a colorful manner about 25 seconds into this famous scene.

11. Yo-yo, say: VARY 

15. Lozenge flavor: HONEY LEMON.

16. Together, on scores: A DUE - The a2 below is musical notation shorthand for A DUE

17. Competitively whipped: EATEN ALIVE.

18. Eighty-six: TOSS - Several possible sources

19. Bailing aid: EXIT - If you want to "bail out" of a situation, an EXIT would be helpful

20. Shiny sheet material: SATEEN 

22. NBA Sixers, on scoreboards: PHI - Wilt Chamberlain is the most famous player the PHIiladelphia 76ers ever had and shot free throws underhanded. His made so few, the 76er's could not depend on him to 32. Put away a game: ICE IT.

23. Brooklyn-based handicrafts etailer: ETSY.

25. Blew off an early appointment, maybe: SLEPT IN - OCD me has never done this

27. Contractors' needs: PERMITS 

30. Maroon: STRAND - What was the name of the ship that foundered and left this group STRANDED? *Answer at bottom

31. Quinque follower: SEX.

34. Beetle Bailey nemesis: SARGE.

35. Letters on Drago's track suit in "Rocky IV": CCCP - This isn't his Soviet Union suit track suit with the Cyrillic letters for USSR, but you can get this autographed ring jacket signed by Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago) for $349

37. Stuffed: SATED.

39. Board at Belmont: TOTE - The TOTE board at Churchill Downs would have shown these numbers for this year's Kentucky Derby. A $2 bet on Medina Spirit would have returned $26.20. Even if this winning horse is disqualified you get to keep your money but the owner has to return his winnings.

40. "Precision Crafted Performance" sloganeer: ACURA - Honda's luxury line

42. Brawl: MELEE.

44. Recipe word: ADD.

45. Light cutters: LASERS - "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"

47. Some are made in garages: DEMO CDS - I suppose they could make one there if they are 49. Proficient in: ADEPT AT playing

51. "Narcos: Mexico" actor Michael: PENA - He's on the right

52. Brainiac: WIZ.

53. Like some mules: SLIP ON.

55. Fold, as a poker hand: MUCK - Throw your cards in to indicate you are quitting the hand

59. "Hitchcock" role: ALMA - The wedding picture of Alfred Hitchcock and his wife and vital collaborator ALMA. Alfred's brother is behind him and his mother is behind ALMA.

61. Movie in which Ricardo Montalban says, "Kirk, my old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb ... 'Revenge is a dish best served cold'?": STAR TREK II 

63. Healthy look: GLOW.

64. Hitting close to home: ALL TOO REAL.

65. Place for roots: SOIL.

66. Comes to one's senses: SEES REASON.

Down:

1. Apt "squee" rhyme: WHEE - Squee is new to me!

2. Deceptive act: HOAX.

3. Not behind: ANTI - The ANTI marijuana and ANTI sports betting people are losing ground in this state

4. Waver: TEETER - Yikes!

5. Writer Rand: AYN - Familiar to us solvers 

6. Some Beethoven works: CLASSICS and classical

7. Its anchor shouldn't weigh it down: RELAY TEAM - The anchor is the last runner on a relay team and here is our hometown Fremont anchor runner finishing the 4 x 400 relay Thursday to clinch the first Girl's State Track Championship in school history

8. Fail to mention: OMIT.

9. Pirate hideouts: COVES - This marks the North Carolina COVE from where this pirate launched many of his raids

10. Does floor work, maybe: KNEELS - These could help

11. Tub for chocolate: VAT.

12. Street cleaner's program: ADOPT A ROAD - Kramer adopted a road

13. Some NFL scores: RUSHING TDS.

14. "Well, of course!": YES INDEED.

21. Makes: NETS - My sister once asked me, "What is this FICA that is always subtracted from my check?"

24. "I'll never be able to unsee that!": TMI 

26. Keister: PRAT - Tom Locke's May 11, 2021 puzzle was built on these euphemisms - Cheeks, Bum, Seat and Buns. It turns out that PRAT is also a name for buttocks. Thus a pratfall is...

27. Petty offense: PECCADILLO.

28. Nice statement of indignation?: EXCUSEZ MOI - What the peccadilloes above might say

29. Put in a spot: SITED.

31. Reprobates: SCALAWAGS

33. Relocates, sci-fi-style: TELEPORTS.

36. Sous-chef's work: PREP - From "sous", the French word for under. The second-in-command in the kitchen

38. Foul creature that guarded Azkaban in the Potterverse: DEMENTOR - My dearth of Potterverse knowledge required this to fill in itself, which it did.

41. The "A" that makes STEM into STEAM: ARTS 

43. Loads of lifetimes: EON.

46. Some dips: SALSAS.

48. Cell component: CAMERA - Will this telephoto lens really allow my iPhone cell CAMERA do this?

50. Viscount, e.g.: TITLE.

54. Wan: PALE - Ah, 11th grade English class

56. Instruments played by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: UKES - Guaranteed to lift your spirits today!

57. European aloha cousin: CIAO - An Israeli cousin too. This got Lemon's seal of approval although the Hebrew is read in the opposite direction. 😊

58. Firing place: KILN.

60. Boring thing: AWL.

62. Topper for a chirashi bowl: ROE.

*Gilligan and his fellow ship mates were MAROONED when the S.S. Minnow foundered